Process

Damien Flood

Black Church Process 2012/13

Master Printmaker: Mary A. Fitzgerald

Cabinet, 2012, drypoint and carborundum

My work is grounded in early writings on philosophy, theology, alchemy and the natural sciences and explores the mutability of ‘reality' and language. Working with the Black Church Print Studio gave me the chance to re-examine my working process. I normally work intuitively, reacting to each layer I apply on the canvas. In this way there is no blueprint for the work. I also normally work on between 10 and 15 works, allowing each work to respond or inform another. This way of working I quickly learned was at odds with print. Working in a different medium is always a challenge; the chances of failure are much higher. This is one of the main reasons I was attracted to the project. I believe the closer you come to failure, the closer you get to something new and exciting. For the project I was forced to plan more methodically, which led to an examination of how I work and create my paintings. With the prints I was creating I could no longer simply erase the last layer or cover it over. This led me to look at the basics of image making and start working on a series of drawings that would become finished prints. The work I ended up producing took the form of drypoints. This was a quicker and more direct way for me to create an image. During the inking process the plates were rubbed back roughly and in a painterly manner, making each edition slightly different. Three sets were produced in the end, with 6 prints in each. Watercolours were used on one set, which added a different mood and feel to them. I see these prints as illustrations to a story yet to be written, of places constantly in flux.

Black Church Process is a new Studio initiative that invites leading art practitioners from other art disciplines to work with the resources of the print studio. This programme offers an insight into the potential of printmaking while promoting and positioning it within contemporary art practice. The projects are intended to be an exploratory process, initiated by the artist's vision, and facilitated by the skills and experience of a dedicated printmaking team of master printmakers and print coordinators. Artists are encouraged to explore the various possibilities that printmaking present to them. The collaboration between artist and studio aims to give the practitioner a comprehensive understanding of the processes and concepts of this art form and to lead to new and exciting directions in their practice.